Mandan water park play area to get upgrades

The Mandan Park District will add $500,000 in upgrades to its play area at the Raging Rivers Water Park.

Last Monday, the Mandan Park Board hired Associated Pool Builders to study how well new equipment would fit into the water park’s space and with existing equipment – heating, valves and pipes. The consultant will be paid $15,000.

The play area is designated for children too small (under 4 feet tall) to use the water slides at the water park.

Parks and Recreation Director Cole Higlin said the park district also applied for a $200,000 Land and Water Grant to help pay for the project. With grant approval, the park district will pay the remaining costs from its general fund money. The park district’s share includes a required $200,000 match of the grant.

“If funding isn’t available, we’d still like to proceed with it,” Higlin said.

Higlin said Work will start either this fall or in the spring of 2015. He said the park district also wants to refurbish the park’s speed slides. The park district wants to attract more people to the water park, Higlin said.

Land swap
The park board also gave early approval to a 1.62-acre land swap with developer Paces Lodging of Fargo for a park district parcel near Sunset Park. The swap will allow Boundary Street to be extended to the west for vehicle access to a new housing development. Under the proposed land exchange, the park district would use 1.62 acres southwest of the road as park land instead. Under the agreement, the park district would not pay any special assessments related to the road.

The land swap must also be approved by the National Park Service because it administers park land funds, Higlin said.

Grant
The Park Board also approved $2,500 in matching grants to Horse and Saddle Club to improve its lighting for its arena at Dacotah Centennial Park. However, the club must first try to reuse lighting from the former go cart area south of Raging Rivers. If the used lights don’t work, the park district will give the matching grant to the club.